


In The Still Of The Night

by happydaygirl



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Can be set post or pre movie, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani Needs a Hug, Love, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, joe needs comfort too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29047974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happydaygirl/pseuds/happydaygirl
Summary: After Millenia on this Earth, they’ve curated a lot of  memories. Sometimes, these memories bite.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	In The Still Of The Night

They have been around long enough to ride the waves of time and just get on with life. Events happen and become history, people are met and then disappear like mist as time rambles on.

Most of the time this doesn’t bother any of them, until it suddenly becomes too much and they break down for a while- memories, so carefully stacked up and packed away, suddenly topple over and crash open, sending waves of emotion raining down as they relieve their pasts.

Lives torn apart in front of their eyes, war-torn countries flashing in their minds. Centuries of killing, of being killed, of noise, of pain and suffering, all come at once, paralysing them for hours, sometimes days.

Joe was no exception. He had built himself up as a strong man throughout the years- stoic, logical, straightforward. That was the impression he tried to cultivate for himself- millennia of wars and bloodshed had hardened him, had made him strong. It suited his role in the team, and he accepted it. He got things done. Yet some nights, like tonight, completely broke him and rendered him unable to even move. 

Curled into the covers, he pushed his face further into the pillow as tears and emotions threatened to overcome him. Images of war and blood, of pain and fear, ran through his mind. When there has been so much hate, the dark tends to overpower the light.

He hadn’t felt like this in years, so he was unprepared for the unbridled grief and pain that he had kept away for so long, tethered in the deep recesses of his mind.

He tensed as he felt the bed dip beside him; he opened his eyes as he felt someone lean over him and place a mug on the beside table beside him before gently slipping into the covers, the warmth and weight comforting.

Warm arms enveloped him as Nicky moved himself closer; he pressed a gentle kiss into the back of Joe’s shoulder before he rested his head in the crook of his neck, not saying a word as they lay in silence.

The only noise other than Joe’s laboured breathing was the rain pattering against the windows and the ticking of a nearby clock- the others were in their rooms, unaware of the struggles going on in theirs.

Nicky whispered something in Italian as Joe sucked in a breath and tried to stop the tears coming again; the hands clasped at his own, and Joe can feel the thumbs caressing the skin on the back of his hand. Comforting circles. He shuddered against the emotions, and feels himself shake even next to the warm body of his soulmate.

It takes Joe a while for him to realise that Nicky isn’t speaking to him at all- he’s singing. Low and soft, the words are pure poetry as Nicky lays there, whispering in his ears.

They remain there as Joe focuses on Nicky’s voice- it centres him, calms him. His breathing gets deeper as he’s able to suck in a full breath without choking on it. He relaxes against Nicky as the feelings and emotions start to ebb away; he can feel them moving back into their rightful places in the mental boxes he’s put them in. The light starts to flow in.

Nicky notices, too- he finishes the verse he’s singing and leans forwards slightly, pressing a kiss to Joe’s hot, clammy cheek, letting his lips linger there as Joe continues to breathe normally again for the first time in an hour.

No words need to be exchanged- no worried questions of ‘are you alright?’ Or anything like that- Nicky is so in tune with Joe that he can tell purely by the way his muscles loosen and the way his head falls back peacefully on the pillow.

They fall asleep together, hands still entwined, waiting for the morning to come and chase the dark away, just as they always have done, and just as they always will.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed- I figured Joe needed some comfort too, the poor guy.  
> By the way, sorry for the messed up tenses- I tried amending but some issues may remain.  
> Please leave a comment!


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